The Defend our Coast Act would prohibit the federal government from issuing any new leases for oil and gas exploration and drilling on the outer continental shelf in the Mid-Atlantic region, which stretches along the East Coast. The bill amends existing federal law to permanently withdraw this area from oil and gas development, affecting energy companies seeking to expand offshore drilling operations in waters off states like Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The legislation does not appropriate new funding but instead removes an existing option for future lease sales that were planned under the federal government's 2024-2029 oil and gas leasing program. The bill targets environmental and coastal protection concerns raised by lawmakers from affected states and would effectively end the prospect of commercial offshore drilling in the Mid-Atlantic indefinitely.
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